Vampire Campaign Bible
Government The result of modern sensibilities, the city is run almost like a corporation. The Prince sits in a position much like a board chairman, with the Inner Circle serving as co-executives. The ultimate result is largely the same as that of the more obvious feudal system, but the Kindred involved like to appear more enlightened. Most decisions are made by a vote of the Inner Circle (unless the Prince chooses to overrule them, of course), policies are decided in committee, and the elders make at least a show, if not an honest practice, of rewarding loyalty and ability among underlings. Unlike a true corporate board, presiding kindred rarely have the power to vote their chairman out, and those below them cannot often look forward to a death or retirement opening up a managerial position. 'The Prince' The single most important and ubiquitous figure in Kindred politics, the Prince rules his city with nearly absolute power. For the most part, however, the Prince holds that position for no other reason than that he was strong enough to take it in some way. Jarus is a veritable warlord who gained power by intimidation and now maintains power through the simple expedient of slaughtering anyone who questions him. Of course, a Prince must do more than bark orders and issue death sentences. Jarus’s job is not merely to govern, but to regulate. A Kindred domain is a boiling pot, full of personal and sectarian conflicts, petty grudges and endless political maneuvering, all topped with the innate and inescapable violence of a race of predators who feed on blood. The Prince’s job is to keep a lid on that pot — or, perhaps more accurately, to be the lid on that pot. The reason most Princes eventually become dictatorial is that they must keep so many powerful and easily agitated vampires in line. 'The Board' The Board’s primary function is to guide (and maintain order among) the domain’s Kindred. Secondary, the group’s purpose is to further the covenant’s standing and influence in the domain. Members of the Board *'Corbin Harvey' - Corbin is primarily responsible for managing the financial risks of the covenant, he is also responsible for financial planning and record-keeping, as well as financial reporting to higher management. *'Markus Braun' - Markus’s duty is to develop and implement plans to prevent crime in order to protect the members of the covenant. Markus also hires, trains, supervises and evaluates the managers who oversee the security staff of the coven. Markus’s role includes but is not limited to investigating, interrogating, and enforcing the laws which have been broken and deciding whether or not to bring the criminal before the Board for judgemnt. Markus carries out all sentencing handed down by the Board. *'Mathew Delamont' - Mathew manages the flow of information the coven and the public. He’s duty involves gaining influence over the public using topics of public interest and news items that do not require payment. Mathew’s aim is to persuade the public, partners, and employees, to maintain a certain point of view about the coven, its leadership, products, or political decisions. Mathew’s common activities include speaking at conferences, winning industry awards, working with the press, and employee communication. *'Salvatore Sinclair' - Salvatore is responsible for corporate strategy and management dealing with the buying, selling, dividing and combining of different companies and similar entities that can help the coven grow rapidly in a new field or new location, without creating suspicion. *'Sophia Isling '- Sophia’s primary duty is to supply the coven with clean and efficient food sources. Sophia may provide services directly to clients or help clients’ access services. Sophia also manages agencies that provide these services, and because of her engagement with human conditions, she is involved in policy development. *'Viola Martelli' - Viola is has been selected to act as head of state because of Jarus’s torpor. Viola serves as a communicator, decision maker, leader, manager and executor. The decision-making role involves high-level decisions about policy and strategy. As a leader, Viola advises the Board, motivates members of the coven, and drives change within the organization. As a manager, Viola presides over the coven's day-to-day, month-to-month, year-to-year, and decade-to-decade operations. 'The Order' The Order is the police service and militia for the Coven led by Markus Braun. The Order stands at 16 members and is organized into rans based off western chess pieces. King - Markus Braun Queen - Daniel Mawson Bishop - Tobias Parcel and Theodor Ellis Knight - Lilith Mawson and Kelly Wickmen Rook - Pawns - Lords & Ladys of the Court All members of the coven have the right to petition the Prince and cast their votes on matters brought forth to the court. The Traditions *'Amaranth': You are forbidden from devouring the heartsblood of another of your kind. If you violate this commandment, the Beast calls for your own Blood. It is said that while the blood of mortals is sweet, the blood of kindred as far sweeter still. Though drinking the blood of other vampires has its pleasures and perils, the Vinculum not the least of these, drinking the life blood, the heart's blood, of another vampire causing their Final Death is an act fraught with danger and the promise of power as well. *'Deference': While respect for one's elders is simple good manners even in mortal society, among kindred it takes on an even greater significance. Especially when that elder may be hundreds if not thousands of years old. *'Domain': A domain is usually comprised of a single city and a limited radius outside its borders. Within his domain, a Prince has absolute authority. The custom of domain derives from the First Tradition largely because one of the first duties of a Prince is to ensure the masquerade is upheld within his domain. *'Feeding Grounds': As rewards for service, or bribes to those whose power the Prince wishes to either exploit or mitigate, the Prince may grant portions of his city to other Kindred. In these territories, only the landholder is permitted to hunt. They may, of course, grant permission to hunt to anyone they choose, but those who poach in a landowner's territory are considered criminals. The Inner Circle demands that any such lawbreakers be brought before them, but sometimes permits a landowner to levy their own punishment. Needless to say, this is rarely a good thing for the poachers. *'Masquerade': Do not reveal your true nature to those not of the Blood. Doing so forfeits you your claim to the Blood. The masquerade protects Vampires from the knowledge and interference of mortals. The masquerade is what keeps "rational" humans from believing that Vampires are real. *'Presentation': The Inner Circle demands that any Kindred newcomers to their city present themselves formally at court. This is partly to make sure that the Prince has a solid grasp on whos in his city at any given time, and partly to make sure that the new arrival understands who holds power and what they are supposed to do while there. Of course, following this custom can be difficult, since new arrivals rarely know how to find the Prince in order to report, but that, frankly, is their problem. Kindred who go for more than a few nights without presenting themselves are likely to be dragged before the Inner Circle upon being caught. If the Circle is being understanding, they might simply issue a warning. Just as likely, they might banish the offender from the domain without allowing any time to prepare, which is tantamount to a death sentence. *'Progeny': Sire another at the peril of both yourself and your progeny. If you create a child, the weight is your own to bear. Any vampire can create more vampires. Doing so is to damn another soul for all eternity. It is not an act which should be indulged lightly. To sire a child, it is expected that you go before the Prince or the Inner Circle and seek permission first. To sire a child without the blessings of either the Prince or Inner Circle is considered a grave insult and will not be taken lightly. *'Tutelage': When a vampire sires a child, is it considered the duty of the sire to tutor the child in the laws and customs of kindred society and to ensure the child does not violate the first tradition in the heady and difficult first nights of their requiem. Daily Activies Culture There is an air of refinement within the covenant, perhaps cultivated by its members to distract them from the realities of being a vampire. Coven members are typically smartly dressed, well spoken and educated. Very rarely does a member resort to anything as unseemly as brawling. Instead they practice a deadly dance of one-upmanship, acid quips and not so subtle intimidation. Still, it is this veneer of grace and civility that attracts many young members to the covenant, who have had their fill of being rudely shoved around by their fellow Kindred. Entertainment *'Balls': Attenders wear evening attire, which is specified on the invitation as black tie or white tie (the most formal). Social dance forms a large part of the evening; actual ballroom dancing may or may not occur. *'Blood Tasting': It’s an understatement to say that blood matters a lot to Kindred. The aristocrats of the undead turn feeding into art. By concentrating on the nuances of the act, they make biting and sucking blood seem less sordid. *'Dueling': A duel generally signifies an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules. The duel was based on a code of honor. Duels are not fought to kill the opponent but to gain "satisfaction," that is, to restore one's honor by demonstrating a willingness to risk one's life for it *'Hoax': In a game of Hoax, contestants try to create a false news story. The more outrageous the story, the better. Typically, the contestants have a month to adjust memories, recruit false witnesses, manufacture physical evidence and feed the whole thing to the media. Then a panel of judges watches the media for another month, to see if the story stands up to scrutiny. A winning hoax makes its way into respectable, mainstream media and survives inquiry from reporters; convincing police or scientists is even better. The judges of a hoaxing contest assume that if a hoax can survive for a month, the hoax will last forever. Even if later investigation proves the story was false, a winning hoax will have saturated the media and convinced a large fraction of the mortal population. Later debunking won’t affect popular belief that much, and any lives ruined will stay ruined. As usual for Kindred sports, the winner receives a cash purse or a boon. A repeatedly successful hoaxer may gain Status from this skill alone. *'Masquerade balls': A masquerade ball (or bal masqué) is an event which the participants attend in costume wearing a mask. Masquerade balls were sometimes set as a game among the guests. The masked guests were supposedly dressed so as to be unidentifiable. This would create a type of game to see if a guest could determine each other's identities. This added a humorous effect to many masques and enabled a more enjoyable version of typical balls. *'Puppet Play': A single Kindred proposes to maneuver a group of mortals into acting out a drama of their design, without them knowing it. Typically, the undead dramatist has a month in which to move their mortal puppets. If they cannot create the situations they promised, they loses face but suffers no other penalty. A group of other Kindred act as judges, rating the dramatist for the complexity of their storyline and their subtlety in manipulating their unwitting actors. The “supporting cast” that helps manipulate the actors can also include bribed or blood-bound minions of the dramatist. Puppet Play is more an art than a game, but has a competitive aspect. A successful dramatist proves that they are a master manipulator of mortals. *'Salons: '''A salon is a gathering of kindred under the roof of an inspiring host, held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine the taste and increase the knowledge of the participants through conversation. These gatherings often consciously followed Horace's definition of the aims of poetry, "either to please or to educate" ("aut delectare aut prodesse est"). *'Venery': A contest of venery can take up to a week. The sponsoring Kindred draw up a list of victim profiles, with different point values. Next, the participants in the hunt pair up. As each one hunts, the other serves as witness. (Participants now carry small instant cameras, too, as another way to prove they found their victims and fed upon them.) Each night, the participants receive a new partner, to prevent collusion between them. At the end of the week, the sponsors find which hunter achieved the highest score. The winner receives a prize, such as a cash purse or a boon from an elder who sponsored the contest. For full points, contestants need to stalk and feed upon their prey without using Disciplines. That includes hiding their predations: if a contestant uses Dominate to erase a victim’s memory, for instance, he loses half his points. Named Members of the Covenant *Clinton Valcoe *Constance Tudor *Corbin Harvey *Dallas Bourbon *Daniel Mawson *Giovanni Martelli *Jarus Aundae *Kelly Wickmen *Lilith Mawson *Markus Braun *Mathew Delamont *Piper Valmont *Salvatore Sinclair *Sophia Isling *Ted "the Ratman" Ellis *Tobias Pascel *Viola Martelli *Willem Jansen: Nosferatu *Gaspard Moren: Daeva *Aya Hashim: Daeva *Ali Hashim: Daeva *Esperanza Perez: Mekhet Unnamed Members *7 Daeva *5 Gangrel *9 Mekhet *11 Nosferatu *8 Ventrue 'Covenant Locations' *'Chambre du Chevalier '- the personal haven of Daniel Mawson. *'Elysium Art Gallery''' - an Elysium managed by Viola Martelli. *'Hawthorne Manor' - the personal haven of Corbin Harvey. *'LaMonte Manor' - the personal haven of Constance Tudor. *'Lanze Tower '- Headquarters of Lanze International, a PMC owned by the coven. *'Otto's Auto Garage' - the personal haven of Dallas Bourbon. *'Ricercato '- a gourmet italian restaurant that is owned by the coven. *'Sinclair Opera House' - an Elysium managed by Salvatore Sinclair. *'Succubi '- Succubi is a coven owned nightclub located in the rack. Category:Vampire